Designation

Office locations

Downtown

Intake Form

Mark Branson, LSW

Empowering and Inspiring You to Change, Heal, Improve, and Fulfill Your Potential

“A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.” B.F. Skinner

People come into therapy when, metaphorically speaking, their engine oil temperature gauge is buried in the red and there’s smoke coming out from underneath the hood. That’s because when the check engine light came on you ignored it, or maybe you thought a friend could work on your car with you and that would be good enough. But it wasn’t. And then the temperature gauge pushed into the yellow and you maybe tried another friend, or maybe you just tried to work on things yourself. But it barely helped.
It’s okay to ask another person for help. It’s okay to ask a therapist for help. There is still a lingering stigma attached to mental health, even in the most accepting cultures/subcultures in North America, that makes it hard to ask for that help. First you may hesitate because you, maybe even with the helps of friends or loved ones, always were able to solve life problems by yourself. It’s understandable to think that this new problem is just like the rest. And even when the metaphorical engine of your mental health is on fire you still might hesitate to ask for help. But you shouldn’t. Don’t let fear and uncertainty win. Therapy is more than a safe space for you. It’s a place where, with some effort, you can change, heal, improve, and even fulfill your potential.

I use a variety of evidence-based modalities to help you help yourself. They include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy

(ACT), internal family systems (IFS), and others. I tailor my approach to your needs. I am experienced helping folks with challenges ranging from schizophrenia to anxiety, trauma, depression, and even just relationship challenges and work-related stress. You are not a diagnosis. You are not a limitation. You are an infinitely complex, infinitely valuable living and changing being that can heal and outgrow limitations and challenges and fulfill a brilliant potential. That conviction fuels and informs my therapeutic mindset. We can change you in therapy. We can change family dynamics in therapy. But we can’t change the world in therapy, nor can we change the people outside of therapy in therapy. It will amaze you how much we can change the world together, however, when we change your world together. We will work together to transform you into the best you. Our journey may not be a straight upward climb but no journey is. The only mistake is to stop trying. Let’s get started.

Specialties

  • Trauma
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation
  • Mindfulness
  • Self-Compassion
  • Schizophrenia and Related Disorders
  • Family and Relationship Challenges
  • Play Therapy and Art Therapy

Approaches Used

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Play Therapy, Art Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)